Japan Patent OfficeSearching the Designs of Graphic Images Has Become Easier-Commencement of the Provision of a Tool for Supporting Searches of Registered Design Gazettes on Graphic Images (Graphic Image Park)-

On October 1, 2015, the provision of a tool for supporting searches of registered design gazettes on graphic images (Graphic Image Park) in which image matching technology is used is to be provided.
This supporting tool will enable users to sort various designs of graphic images, such as graphic images on the operation of products that have been registered in Japan, according to the elements of shapes and colors of such images and those that users voluntarily specify; the tool will also efficiently query the designs of graphic images.
The tool will always be available free of charge on the Internet.

1. Background

Recently, excellent designs of graphic images have been actively created in Japan. Therefore, at the meetings of the Design System Subcommittee under the Intellectual Property Committee under the Industrial Structure Council, the protection of designs of graphic images is currently being discussed. In regard to such discussions, measures to reduce the burden of searches on design rights are being required so as to prevent designs of graphic images that have already registered from being unintentionally used (the meeting of the Intellectual Property Committee under the Industrial Structure Council held in February, 2014).

Therefore, a supporting tool that enables users to efficiently search the designs of graphic images that have already been registered in Japan has been developed and services for the tool are to be provided on the Internet.

These services will enable users to search the designs of graphic images that have been registered in Japan without special knowledge on matters such as the Japanese Classification for Industrial Designs and the articles to designs that are necessary when searching the Japan Platform for Patent Information (J-Plat Pat).

2. Outline of the Graphic Image Park

The Graphic Image Park compares graphic images that users input to this supporting tool and those that have been listed in registered design gazettes through image matching technology, it also assesses the elements on shapes and colors between them, and displays graphic images that have been listed in registered design gazettes, sorting them in the order determined through the assessment.

The features of the Graphic Image Park are as follows:

Users can begin to perform searches exclusively relating to the designs of graphic images by inputting images that users intend to compare with preexisting designs, and they need not have expert knowledge on matters such as the classification for industrial designs in order to do so.

This supporting system is always available on the Internet for free.

This supporting system can automatically assess the elements in shapes and colors between graphic images that users input to this supporting tool and those that have been listed in registered design gazettes, and it can sort them by these points.

Users can efficiently query graphic images by comparing the many designs of these images, because graphic images listed in the registered design gazettes are displayed in a thumbnail list.

Users can select the conditions for sorting, such as by “focusing on shapes” or “focusing on colors.”

Users can load and query the PDF files of registered design gazettes by clicking the thumbnail images displayed after sorting.